About 400 students to move into on-campus residence halls
The Office of Residence Life and First-Year Experience postponed spring semester move-in until the week of Feb. 15 due to COVID-19 concerns. CLARISSE GUEVARRA, Staff Photographer
President Daniele Struppa sent an email Jan. 15 to Chapman students stating that the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) had extended the county’s stay-at-home order for an additional four weeks. This inhibited Chapman’s ability to begin the spring semester with in-person instruction, and in an effort to keep the Chapman community healthy, spring semester move-in to the freshmen on-campus dorms was postponed to Feb. 15.
However, Dave Sundby, the director of Residence Life and First-Year Experience, explained that students with finalized travel plans were permitted to move in the week of Jan. 25 as originally planned.
“We didn’t ask for verification from any students,” Sundby said. “We trusted that if people said that this was going to be a significant hardship, they were being honest with us. We ended up having between 130 to 150 students that moved in during January.”
In addition to those that have already moved into the residence halls, Chapman is expecting around another 250 students to arrive in the coming weeks, totaling at about 400 students split amongst Pralle-Sodaro Hall, Glass Hall, Henley Hall and the Sandhu Residence Center.
To help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and qualify for housing, all students and guests helping them move in are required to take a rapid COVID-19 test before checking into their assigned dorm. Students are also required to wear face coverings in all common areas throughout the entirety of their stay in the residence halls. Although study rooms are open at a lower capacity for students, almost all restaurants on campus are closed and Randall Dining Commons has transformed into a grab-and-go station for packaged meals.
Junior graphic design major Makena Snipes was a resident adviser (RA) at the Chapman Grand Apartments during the fall semester, but has relocated her position to the Sandhu Residence Center. Her duties encompass overseeing dorm life, planning social events, providing advice and help to residents and ensuring they are following proper COVID-19 protocol.
“I feel like there is a sort of animosity towards RAs, even though we are just doing what we’re told,” Snipes said. “I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but obviously this is a serious thing and it's not OK to just flaunt around the halls without taking precautions.”
To improve the freshman experience, Residence Life has provided tents, tables and outdoor WiFi for residents to enjoy their meals, work on homework and socialize with friends at a maximum of three people per table.
Each student has been assigned a private dorm room and private bathroom this spring, effectively eliminating the traditional college roommate experience — with the exception of residents in Pralle-Sodaro Hall, where some students will be assigned a suitemate to share a bathroom with. Mia Tokunaga, a freshman health science major, moved into Sandhu Residence Center during the original move-in week of Jan. 25, and finds the residence halls to be somewhat lonely due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“It's a lot harder to socialize, because you don't know people’s boundaries,” Tokunaga said. “Some people don’t care (about getting the virus) and want to socialize, but other people just want you to stand back. Not only are there COVID-19 restrictions, but it’s your own safety too. You don’t want to get sick, or get other people sick either.”
Students who test positive for the coronavirus are required to isolate in their units while receiving assistance from Chapman staff. Residents are required to visit the Student Health Center for weekly free testing, and President Daniele Struppa boasted in a Feb. 12 community-wide email that Chapman University has maintained a 1% or less positivity rate among students, faculty and staff since the start of the pandemic.